THE GATINEAU PARK PROTECTION COMMITTEE

LE COMITÉ POUR LA PROTECTION DU PARC DE LA GATINEAU

Mission

The Gatineau Park Protection Committee (GPPC) is a standing committee of the New Woodlands Preservation League and insists that the public interest prevail over all other factors in park management, and that its history be presented fairly and truthfully.

Through its various campaigns, the Committee has convinced the National Capital Commission (NCC) to review its historical interpretation of Gatineau Park and recognize its true origins. We have also managed to get parliamentarians from both federal houses to table seven bills to set the park’s boundaries, provide it with effective land management and guarantee its long-term protection.

As well, the GPPC has managed to pressure the NCC, with help from Senators Spivak and Banks, to produce the first-ever technical description of Gatineau Park's boundaries. The government has included those boundaries in the two versions of its Gatineau Park legislation, Bills C-37 and C-20.

In 2008, the GPPC led the charge in persuading the NCC to stop a 20-house subdivision on Carman Road inside Gatineau Park and in convincing the federal government to adopt Order-in-Council PC 2008-1604, which allows the NCC to acquire all park inholdings.

On March 20, 2009, we intervened before Quebec’s Administrative Tribunal, managing to secure rightful federal ownership of a 61.5 square kilometre patch of land in Gatineau Park. As a result of our intervention, the Quebec Department of Justice withdrew its appeal – thereby putting to rest the issue of so-called Quebec lands in the Lac La Pêche sector of Gatineau Park.

Our mission also seeks to ensure that laws and regulations related to Gatineau Park are rigorously interpreted and enforced by the various levels of government within their respective jurisdictions.